Feeling like I can get away with more cals!

kristen__

So this might sound like a huge brain fart but here goes:

The more I learn about healthy eating and the way that my body uses/needs food for energy the more I feel like I can get away with eating more calories. My highest weight was 74.1kg (163lbs) and I am 163cm (5ft 4) tall. Currently I'm at 61.1 kg (134lbs) with my tentative goal being 56kg (123lbs). I've been fairly consistently eating 1200 cals and exercising 5 days a week burning around 300-400 cals each day and was losing consistently until I had about a month where I stopped caring and putting so much effort in. I was still going to the gym but just doing light cardio and I maintained the weightloss and didn't re-gain any weight. I got back into the swing of things about two weeks ago and lost another kg but then last week I had two or three days where I just wanted to binge and ate chips and excess cereal at night just because I wanted to. I was already full and felt sick and like I was going to explode after the first day but then still did the same thing the day afterwards! I exercised a little extra to try and 'un-do' the unnecessary overeating and am back into my 'normal' eating habits again over the weekend but when I weighed myself the 'damage' was non-existant. Now that I am down to the last 5kgs that I want to lose (even though I will probably re-assess when I get there that I want to lose another few) I have been reading a lot that I should probably up my cals and slow the weight loss down which is fair enough. However this has started to put me in a mindset where I get to the end of the day and have had my dinner and have eaten 'enough' calories to sustain me yet I find myself wanting a snack because I can 'afford' to eat the extra 100/200 cals! Anyone else get to the point where they feel like they can get away with eating a few extra cals just because they can when they are getting towards their goal?! I also dont want to keep eating at 1200 cals and hit a plateau because I don't usually eat back my exercise cals although lately I have been eating them in line with the 'I can get away with it mentality'.

Ugh!

rosichick

That's what I'm doing this exact moment I can't seem to put down the chips now I'm over my calories!! Even after my workout ... I'm throwing them away right now!!!

volume77

personally i like to eat as many calories as possible while maintaining my weight. I don't look at it like "getting away" with something. I see it as fuel for my body.

thefitfriend

oh my gosh i have this exact thing!

ladyraven68

So this might sound like a huge brain fart but here goes:

The more I learn about healthy eating and the way that my body uses/needs food for energy the more I feel like I can get away with eating more calories. My highest weight was 74.1kg (163lbs) and I am 163cm (5ft 4) tall. Currently I'm at 61.1 kg (134lbs) with my tentative goal being 56kg (123lbs). I've been fairly consistently eating 1200 cals and exercising 5 days a week burning around 300-400 cals each day and was losing consistently until I had about a month where I stopped caring and putting so much effort in. I was still going to the gym but just doing light cardio and I maintained the weightloss and didn't re-gain any weight. I got back into the swing of things about two weeks ago and lost another kg but then last week I had two or three days where I just wanted to binge and ate chips and excess cereal at night just because I wanted to. I was already full and felt sick and like I was going to explode after the first day but then still did the same thing the day afterwards! I exercised a little extra to try and 'un-do' the unnecessary overeating and am back into my 'normal' eating habits again over the weekend but when I weighed myself the 'damage' was non-existant. Now that I am down to the last 5kgs that I want to lose (even though I will probably re-assess when I get there that I want to lose another few) I have been reading a lot that I should probably up my cals and slow the weight loss down which is fair enough. However this has started to put me in a mindset where I get to the end of the day and have had my dinner and have eaten 'enough' calories to sustain me yet I find myself wanting a snack because I can 'afford' to eat the extra 100/200 cals! Anyone else get to the point where they feel like they can get away with eating a few extra cals just because they can when they are getting towards their goal?! I also dont want to keep eating at 1200 cals and hit a plateau because I don't usually eat back my exercise cals although lately I have been eating them in line with the 'I can get away with it mentality'.

Ugh!

Do you know what your estimated maintenance calories are?

If you know you can go up to xxx calories without going over maintenance then it may make you feel better about the days you go over the 1200, as you will still be under maintenance and therefore still losing.

TavistockToad

personally i like to eat as many calories as possible while maintaining my weight. I don't look at it like "getting away" with something. I see it as fuel for my body.

this!

you should be eating more than net 1200 cals if you are close to your goal - set your weight loss to 1/2lb and eat that amount. but balance it out through the day so that you arent having to eat extra last thing at night to get the cals in... an extra 100 cals each meal (or however many it is to get you to your cal goal) is an easy extra 300 per day!